Call Me Noona

Chapter 6 - Halmeoni (Edited)

It was my first day exploring by myself and I could do whatever I wanted, linger as long as I wanted, take as many photos as I wanted, and eat whatever I wanted. But the thing I wanted most was not possible. I wanted to spend the day with Minhyuk. I had not been able to stop thinking about him or the kiss. 

Missing him compounded the fact that I did not have anyone to share my adventures with and I was lonely. If this had been a typical vacation without Monsta X mixed in, it would not have bothered me at all. But things were different now. My whole world had changed in just a week. I decided it was time to call Halmeoni and set up our dinner.

"Halmeoni! It is Sunny! How are you?" She sounded delighted to hear from me.

"Sunny-ah! Oh, it is good to hear from you!" We chatted for a few moments, and I told her that the festivities had concluded, and I was all hers. She said she wanted to see my pictures and told me to be sure to bring them all. We arranged dinner for the next evening, and she texted me her address. I continued my adventure.

As I explored, I was overwhelmed with the number of cosmetic brand shops. I had ordered many of these brands online and picked up a few in my local k-beauty store, Sooni and Tommi. I was tempted to buy all the things, but I decided to window shop first and then go back for the things I really wanted. I had limited luggage space and it was the smart way to shiop.

I also ventured into a shop where I was able to complete my Monsta X collection. I was only missing a couple of versions of some of the earlier albums, and surprisingly they had the ones I needed. I picked up a couple of TTG items and other official merchandise that wasn't easy to get in the US without exorbitant shipping fees. I picked up a few small gifts for Nikki and the kids, and a pretty little trinket box for Halmeoni.

It was dark now and the buskers had come out. I stopped to listen and watch a couple of them. There were dancers and singers lining the street, all giving it their best. I was enjoying the performances, but my heart just wasn't in it that evening.

The night air held a slight chill and felt energizing after the warm day. Summer was on its way in, but the nights were still cool. I wore a light jersey jacket with a Monsta X logo on it and was very comfortable. I was disappointed that I had missed out on the cherry blossoms by just a few weeks, but that just meant I needed to come back again. I chatted with Nikki, Simon, and the kids. Simon was missing his mommy, but he was being a good boy for them. Simon was very sensitive and only liked the 4 of us. He was not fond of strangers. Then I video chatted with the noonas a bit and walked around with them so they could see the city.

My new hotel was not nearly as impressive as the last and I wasn't excited about going back. It was nice enough and it had a decent pool, at least. I was getting tired, and my feet were starting to hurt, so I headed back. I had been single for a few years now and was used to being alone, I preferred it most of the time, but I was suddenly lonely. I missed Minhyuk terribly and it just got worse as the days went by. In a way he had already been a part of my life for several years, but it was different now... he was really in my life now. We had only been on one "date", but I wanted to see him again... I needed to see him again. If he did get in touch with me somehow, then what? Dating isn't really an option for him, and I would only be in Korea for a few more days. I didn't even want to think about how I would feel once I got home. I kept pushing that out of my mind to deal with later.

I changed into my swimsuit as soon as I got back to my room and headed straight for the pool. Swimming was the thing that relaxed me. I wasn't a great swimmer, but I loved to pretend that I was. I had discovered water aerobics and it was the thing that had helped me slim back down and overcome most of my health issues.